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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26956366">is this heartache we could fix?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinning_out/pseuds/spinning_out'>spinning_out</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coming Out, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Slow Burn, cw // language and mentions of alcohol, their characters aren’t very close to what canon them is but i love them anyways</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:00:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,593</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26956366</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinning_out/pseuds/spinning_out</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>brad and david are called into work in the middle of the night, and brad has to pick up david at a motel. something unlikely sparks between the two.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Brad Bakshi &amp; David Brittlesbee, Brad Bakshi &amp; Poppy Li, Brad Bakshi/David Brittlesbee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>very slightly inspired by the end credits scene in 1x09, this is kind of a long one, but i had fun writing this </p><p>title and a few other lines in this are from Go Easy by Matt Maeson</p><p>sorry that i keep putting david in such emotional turmoil</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Brad woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He nearly knocked it off of the nightstand trying to find it, because it was still dark outside. He looked at the clock on the phone.</p>
<p>1:30 am</p>
<p>     Brad groaned, holding the phone to his ear and answering.<br/>
“Hello?” he said groggily.<br/>
“Brazza!” Poppy’s voice rang back at him. It was too early for her to sound this upbeat. “Ian and I were getting some late hours in, and he noticed some bug with one of the items on the store. We need you to come down here and help fix it.”<br/>
“Poppy, it’s 1:30 in the morning. Can’t this wait?”<br/>
“You are the head of monetization after all, can you just please come? We’ll make it quick.”<br/>
Brad hesitated. “Fine.”<br/>
“Great, thanks!” she exclaimed. “Can you call David and have him come in too?”<br/>
Poppy hung up before Brad could even get a response in.<br/>
“Jesus Christ,” Brad said to himself. “Can’t I get some fucking sleep?” 
</p><p>Poppy could’ve easily called David herself, but Brad knew that she just wanted to mess with him. It was no secret to anyone at the office that Brad was in love with David. Well, no secret to everyone except David. </p>
<p>     He pulled up David’s contact and hit call. It went straight to voicemail.<br/>
<em>That’s weird,</em> he thought.<br/>
Brad tried facetiming him instead. After a few rings, he saw David’s face, his eyes squinted.<br/>
“Brad, it’s almost 2am,” David said, his words slightly slurred. “What are you calling about?”<br/>
“Poppy wants us to come in. She says she and Ian found a new bug or some shit.” Brad told him. David was quiet.<br/>
“I don’t know why she couldn’t have called you herself,” Brad continued. “But I’ll meet you at the studio. Bye Dav-“<br/>
David cut him off. “Wait wait, we have to go down there this instant?”<br/>
“Yeah.”<br/>
“Shit, uh. I don’t really know how to explain this but I don’t think I can drive down there.”<br/>
Brad figured he knew why, David’s sensitivity to the light in his room, the slurred words; he was drunk.<br/>
“I had a bit to drink before I went to sleep so driving definitely wouldn’t be the best option for me.”<br/>
“Uh, I can come get you, if you want.” Brad suggested. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea. David sounded like he needed the rest.<br/>
“I guess that would work. I’ll text you my address.” David finally said, before ending the call.<br/>
</p><p>Brad found that last sentence strange. He had been to David’s house before. When he got a text notification with the location of a nearby motel, he thought it was even stranger.<br/>
Why wasn’t David home? Did something happen with him?<br/>
Brad got out of bed, only bothering to throw on a pair of jeans over his pajamas, and got into his car.</p>
<p>The motel wasn’t exactly the nicest. But in a moment’s notice it probably would’ve worked to stay there. Brad had no idea what David was doing staying in a place like this, but it was obviously for a reason.<br/>
<em>Room 19.</em> Brad repeated to himself. He walked up to the turquoise colored door and knocked. David opened it, looking very tired. 
</p><p>“Hey man.” He said through a yawn.<br/>
“Hi David. You ready to go?” Brad asked, still studying the other man.<br/>
“I suppose.”<br/>
David’s eyes were bleary, his hair brushed away from his face, but not neatly combed as usual. He was wearing a dark green flannel and sweatpants, but Brad thought that he looked cute. It’s not like what he was wearing was any better. A DuckTales t-shirt and old jeans? Not exactly peak fashion for his standards.<br/>
They walked to Brad’s car and started on their way to the office.<br/>
</p><p>“So Dave,” Brad asked. “Why were you staying in a motel?”<br/>
“Huh? Oh um they’re doing work on my apartment and I didn’t exactly have anywhere else to go.” David told him.<br/>
Brad just nodded. “Why were you drinking, though?”<br/>
“Yesterday was long, and sort of rough on me. I was hoping it would help me sleep,” David said with a small laugh, but it sounded forced. “But I ended up drinking more than I had initially set out to.”<br/>
Brad couldn’t see the expression on David’s face, but he could tell David didn’t wanna talk about it anymore. Brad’s phone started ringing and he connected it to the car speakers, Poppy was calling again.<br/>
</p><p>“What’s up, Pops?” Brad asked.<br/>
“Hey so quick change of plans,” Poppy said rather cautiously. “Ian and I figured out what was going on, so we don’t actually need you to come in.”<br/>
“So we got halfway there for nothing?”<br/>
“Not technically, but y- wait wait. Who is we?”<br/>
“Hi Poppy,” David chimed in from the passenger seat. “Brad gave me a ride.”<br/>
“Oh, alright,” Poppy answered. “So anyways, you don’t need to come in. See you tomorrow.”<br/>
“Bye.” Brad and David said simultaneously.<br/>
“Don’t get into trouble, you two.” Poppy said in a cheeky tone, and she hung up. Brad wished she hadn’t done that.<br/>
“What was that about?” David asked.<br/>
Brad felt hot, and was glad that David couldn’t see him.<br/>
“Not sure.” Brad coughed out, his voice suddenly dry.<br/>
“Well,” David said, and Brad was thankful he was moving on. “I guess we need to turn around.”<br/>
</p><p>At least the drive had been nice.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>brad thinks back on a conversation he had with poppy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Brad still wished that Poppy hadn’t said anything. She figured out about Brad’s feelings after catching him staring at David on numerous occasions. The first time she confronted him about it was a few weeks ago.<br/>
</p><p>“Meeting adjourned.” David announced, followed by everyone going about their business and leaving the conference room. Poppy, Brad, and David stayed behind. They talked for a while, just casual conversation. A buzz interrupted them, and David glanced down at his phone.<br/>
“I have to take this,” he said. “Talk to you guys later.” As he left, he gave Brad a quick pat on the arm, and smiled. Brad clenched his fists, trying to avoid physically freaking out. He smiled and watched David as he left the room.<br/>
</p><p>“Brad, are you gay?” Poppy asked. Brad inhaled sharply, causing him to start coughing.<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“Shit, sorry if that put you on the spot,” she explained. “I didn’t mean it in a rude way.”<br/>
“Yeah, no, I got that. It just caught me off guard.” They sat in silence for a second, Brad was biting his lip, not sure what to say next. He exhaled.<br/>
“Fuck,” he finally said. “How did you know?”<br/>
“I see the way you look at David. I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t noticed yet.”<br/>
Brad looked out the windows of the conference room, he couldn’t see where David had gone.<br/>
“Who else has, well, figured it out?” He asked Poppy.<br/>
“Only Ian and I, as far as I know,”  she said. “Sooo.. what do you like about him?”<br/>
Brad laughed and rolled his eyes.<br/>
“Nope, I’m not getting into this, Pops. But can you keep this conversation a secret? I don’t want everyone in the office knowing that I’m into David.”<br/>
“Of course,” she reassured. “I’ll see you later.”<br/>
</p><p>With that, she left Brad alone, still sitting on the conference room table.<br/>
Brad thought to himself. Was it really that obvious to everyone? More importantly, was he sure that David didn’t know?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>brad and david arrive back at the motel, brad is unsure of whether or not he should stay</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was nearly 3am when they got back to David’s motel. They both got out of the car and walked to his room. Brad stood just inside the doorway while David sat down on the bed. He looked worn out. Physically and emotionally. Brad felt a pang in his chest, he just wanted to wrap David in a long hug and make everything better. But he couldn’t bring himself to. Not just yet. He could only muster up enough courage to start a conversation.<br/>
</p><p>“Are you gonna be okay for the night?” Brad questioned.<br/>
“I mean this isn’t the first time I’ve had to stay over at a motel,” David revealed. “I spent a fair share of nights here and there during my divorce.” It was still a touchy subject for him, and Brad could see that David was getting slightly sadder by the second.<br/>
“That isn’t necessarily something to pride yourself on,” Brad teased. “But it’s getting late, so I guess we’ll go our separate ways.”<br/>
He walked over towards the bed and gave David a short hug.<br/>
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Brad said, turning the doorknob.<br/>
“Brad wait,” David blurted out. His voice was shaky and his words still sounded slurred. “Could you- uh actually- <em>would</em> you stay?”<br/>
Brad gulped. He nodded, closing the door and taking off his shoes, before sitting in the chair in the corner of the room.<br/>
“I feel like I’ve been alone for too long, and I guess having some company for once would be nice.” David said, all of the words rambling out of his mouth.<br/>
“Yeah, yeah I’ve been there before.” Brad told him.<br/>
“You were right about it getting late though, so we should probably get some rest.”<br/>
“There’s only one bed.. so unless we’re gonna share it, I call this chair.” Brad said, gesturing to where he was sitting.<br/>
“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, so we can share the bed if you’re okay with that. I’ll be back in just a few minutes.” David said, before walking to the bathroom and closing the door behind him. </p><p>Brad heard the shower water turn on, so he knew he had a few minutes to himself.<br/>
Brad cursed at his thoughts, wishing he hadn’t brought up the whole “sharing the bed” plan.  He took a deep breath, and moved over to the opposite side from where David had been seated. He discarded his jeans and sat on the edge of the bed. He probably looked ridiculous in his shirt, not only was it merch from a children’s show, but it was also filled with holes. He didn’t wanna look at himself in the mirror, his own reflection sometimes made him uneasy. Especially now, knowing he looked tired and everything about him was messy. </p><p>There wasn’t much else to do, so Brad just layed down and scrolled through his phone. He thought about texting Poppy, but she and Ian would probably never let him live this moment down. </p>
<p>    David came back into the room and flopped onto the bed next to Brad. His hair was still slightly wet so a few strands were falling onto his face. His eyes looked tired, but there was still a glimmer of compassion behind them. Brad caught himself staring again, and looked down at his hands.<br/>
</p><p>“Brad?” David questioned. “Do you ever feel like you’re gonna be alone forever?”<br/>
Brad had worked enough late shifts with David to know that he often rambled when he was tired.<br/>
“I mean, maybe not forever, but yeah, sometimes.” Brad revealed. It was true, he hadn’t been in a committed relationship since college. David continued talking.<br/>
“Everything has just felt so lonely for me and I don’t know how I’ll ever find someone new. Like, it’s not like there aren’t any options out in the world for me. I’m a middle-aged bisexual man so should it really be this hard?” he ran on.<br/>
The last sentence made Brad’s stomach fill with butterflies. Brad didn’t think David even realized he had just come out.<br/>
“I’m sure you’ll find someone, David.” Brad said reassuringly, patting David on the arm. They smiled at each other. Brad’s stomach still felt like it was inside out.<br/>
</p><p>“Okay now we should really get some rest,” David suggested. “We still actually have to go to work later.” <br/>
Brad agreed, adjusting himself so that he was comfortable, but not too close to David. They turned out the small lamps by each side of the bed, and lied down. David dozed off within 15 minutes, but Brad’s thoughts were keeping him awake. </p><p>Maybe he actually had a shot with David, if he could actually ever tell him. David rolled over, and now he was facing Brad. It sounded cliche, but Brad thought he looked adorable in his sleep. He looked so much calmer than usual. Brad smiled softly, and turned the other way. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. He could hear David making slight mumbling noises and moving around. </p>
<p>Brad thought nothing of it, until he felt an arm wrap around his waist. Brad’s eyes opened, and he turned slightly, trying not to wake David up. He was still sleeping, but he was hugging Brad close to him, seeming very comfortable. Brad didn’t know what to do at first, his heart still hammering in his chest. He moved back, embracing David’s grasp. Brad placed his arm on top of David’s, and slowly traced the tips of his fingers along it. His skin was warm and soft to the touch. Brad closed his eyes again and found it surprisingly easy to fall asleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>the bed sharing trope is probably one of my favorites ever i couldn’t resist</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>the next day at work</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter 4 and 5 are both here!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Brad woke up feeling like he had gotten the best sleep of his life. The light from outside was shining gently through the windows. He could still hear David’s soft breathing from behind him, their arms no longer entwined. Brad felt like he could’ve stayed like that for a very long while. For the first time in a long time, Brad felt safe. He still had the biggest smile on his face, and he reached for his phone. It was 10:00 am, they were supposed to be at work almost an hour ago. Brad scrambled out of bed, nearly falling over trying to put his jeans back on. He nudged David on the arm, waking him up.

</p><p>“David, we’re late for work.” he told the half sleeping man.<br/>
“Shit, what time is it?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.<br/>
“It’s 10. And I don’t wanna go to work in just this,” Brad said, gesturing to the t-shirt. “Can I borrow one of your flannels?”<br/>
David sat up the rest of the way, preparing himself to get out of bed. “Yeah, sure. There should be a few in my bag.” He pointed to the corner of the room.<br/>
“Thanks.”<br/>
</p><p>They both managed to get up and out of the door in about 20 minutes. Brad took David’s dark blue flannel, a favorite of his, and wrapped it tight around his arms. It smelled like him and was honestly super comfortable. Although David was in better condition to drive now, they still rode to work in Brad’s car. Hopefully them being late wouldn’t affect too much, it was the last day of the work week anyways. Music played softly over the radio, but neither of them were paying it much mind. Brad could only think about David. He missed the feeling of his arms around his waist. Brad wasn’t even sure if David knew what had happened last night. He also wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.<br/>
</p><p>“So how’d you sleep?” David asked, breaking the silence.<br/>
“If I’m being honest,” Brad responded. “I don’t think I’ve gotten a better night of sleep. Maybe you were right about the loneliness thing. Sometimes some company can really do a person good.”<br/>
Brad felt embarrassed by the fact that he said that all out loud. He didn’t expect all of his thoughts to come out of his mouth.<br/>
“Me too.” David said, a faint smile spreading across his face. </p>
<p>They pulled into the parking garage around 11. Brad felt weird being in David’s flannel, he didn’t want people to pick up on the fact that it clearly wasn’t his own, but he assumed they would. Brad and David walked into the elevator together, both still shaking off the tiredness. Brad needed coffee, or else he would crash. Poppy was in the kitchen area when him and David walked in, both needing something to wake them up. Once they got their coffee, Poppy walked over to them.<br/>
</p><p>“Heyy you two,” she said. “David, do you mind if I steal Brad just for a quick chat? Okay thanks.” Poppy yanked him by the arm before David got to respond. Brad had a feeling he knew where this was going. </p>
<p>“You’re both late to work.” Poppy stated.<br/>
“I hadn’t noticed,” Brad retorted sarcastically. “It’s not like I’m the one who drove us here.”<br/>
“Did you stay with him last night?”<br/>
“Yes, and before you ask, nothing happened. Not totally.”<br/>
“What do you mean not totally? And.. are you wearing his flannel?”<br/>
“This seems more like an interrogation rather than a quick chat.”<br/>
“Oh, bugger off.” Poppy gave Brad a slight shove with that last comment. Brad rolled his eyes.<br/>
“I’ll tell you about it later, Pops.” he voiced. “But for now, I have work to do.” He walked towards his office, contemplating whether or not to bring up last night’s events to David… he never did. </p>
<p>The day went by fast, probably because Brad and David came in almost 2 hours late. It was nearing 7:00, and Brad was getting ready to leave, David did the same. They said bye to Ian and Poppy, a few of the only people still at the office. Poppy looked like she was going to say something else before they left, but Brad shot her down with a glare. He decided halfway through the drive home that he didn’t want to go home alone again tonight. He just had to decide how to tell David that. When they pulled into the parking lot of the motel, Brad parked and turned himself in his seat so he could be facing David.<br/>
</p><p>“You shouldn’t have to stay at this place by yourself again, Dave.” Brad told him.<br/>
“Well, my apartment is still being fixed so this is pretty much my only option.” David seemed to be thinking for a moment. “Unless you had something in mind?”<br/>
“Come stay at my place.” Brad blurted out. There was no going back now.<br/>
“Brad, I don’t know if I can accept-“<br/>
“No, no, I insist. We can rent a movie or something, and I’ll order dinner.”<br/>
“Well, I guess dinner sounds nice.” David smiled.<br/>
“Great! Come over around 8?”<br/>
“Yeah, yeah. 8 is good.”<br/>
“I’ll see you then.” Brad called as David was getting out of the car. He turned around as he was walking back to his motel room, and smiled. It was a real genuine smile. Brad smiled too.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>david stays at brad’s apartment for the night, after dinner and a movie</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once Brad got home, he showered and put on a sweater with a pair of dress pants. That was his usual work attire. He cleaned up around the living room and the bedroom, making sure his apartment looked nice when David got there. He propped up the pillows on his couch, and was lighting a candle on one of the shelves when he heard a knock on the door. Brad took one last look around, and walked to the front door, where he found David, holding a bottle of wine.<br/>
“I wasn’t sure if I should’ve brought a gift, so I picked this up on the way over.” David explained. Brad took the bottle with a small “thanks” and held the door for David.<br/>
“I was thinking of ordering Chinese,” Brad suggested. “Does that sound good?”<br/>
“I’m good with anything.”</p>
<p>Brad poured them each a glass of wine, and they stood by the counter as they talked. There was another knock on the door, and Brad answered, bringing back their food. They settled onto the couch and looked for a movie to watch. </p><p>Much to David’s dismay, they chose a horror movie. The movie was honestly pretty lame, but Brad noticed David would still flinch during all of the jumpscares. His hand flew out and held onto Brad’s at one point, and Brad didn’t let go. David still looked scared, so Brad inched closer to him, in an attempt to comfort him. He unlinked their hands and laid his head on the pillow that was on the other side of the couch, moving himself across David’s lap. It was comfortable, and David didn’t seem to mind. There was nothing inherently romantic about the position they were in, but Brad got that feeling of safety again. The feeling of love. David was running his fingers through Brad’s hair, maybe not even aware he was doing it. Brad made a faint humming noise and moved his head ever so slightly back against David’s hands. 
</p><p>The movie had ended, but neither of them seemed to want to move for a few minutes. Eventually, Brad sat up, shoulder to shoulder with David. It was nearing 11pm and both of them were tired. They didn’t even have to say anything, but the both got off of the couch and started to get ready to sleep. </p>
<p>David was brushing his teeth while Brad set up the pullout couch. Brad had offered up his own room to David, so the couch was where Brad would be sleeping. David came out into the living room, no longer in everyday clothes.<br/>
“You can sleep in your room if you want.” David proposed.<br/>
“No it’s fine,” Brad assured. “You’re the guest.”<br/>
“I wouldn’t care, it’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.”<br/>
Brad’s stomach flipped again. He didn’t realize David wanted them both to be in Brad’s room.<br/>
“I- I mean,” Brad stammered. “If you’re fine with it.”<br/>
David didn’t need to say another word, Brad could tell that he still wanted company just by looking at his eyes. Brad got off of the couch and wandered back down the hall. They both got into bed and turned off the lights. Brad felt like he couldn’t drift off. David once again fell asleep first, he wasn’t exactly a light sleeper. 
</p><p>Brad came to the conclusion that he was gonna tell David he loved him when they woke up the next morning. That thought just kept him up more. He started rehearsing what he would say.<br/>
</p><p>“David, I’m in love with you.” he whispered, just practicing actually speaking the words out loud.<br/>
“I love you too, Brad.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>there will be one more chapter after this, and probably an epilogue. thank you all for reading this so far</p>
<p>also sorry for the cliffhanger, the last two will be out soon</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>brad and david talk things over after an accidental love confession</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Brad didn’t know that David was still awake. He sat bolt upright, turning away so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. David sat up too. Brad wasn’t looking at him, but he could feel a shift of weight behind him. David walked around from his side and sat next to Brad, who still wasn’t making eye contact. Brad put his head in his hands, trying to keep them from shaking. He had just confessed to David that he loved him, but it didn’t feel like he expected. He didn’t feel a weight lifted off of his shoulders, if anything, he felt heavier.<br/>
</p><p>“You weren’t supposed to hear that.” Brad said with his eyes squeezed shut.<br/>
“Then why did you say it?” David questioned carefully, as to not send Brad into a further state of panic.<br/>
“Well, I wanted you to hear, sort of. Maybe? But I didn’t think you’d be awake and I was just seeing what it felt like to say the words out loud, just because. I was going to tell you at some point because I’ve known for 2 years and I just was too scared. So I wanted you to hear, but it just backfired from how it was going to happen in my mind.. I guess,” Brad rambled on. “Does that make sense?”<br/>
David was quiet, but he let out a laugh. Not one of pity, or of mockery, but one of understanding.<br/>
“Surprisingly, yes it does.” David confessed. “All of what you just said had been going on in my mind too.”<br/>
“That’s comforting I guess.” Brad shrugged. It was barely even registering with him that David said “I love you” back. David spoke up.<br/>
“Do you want to try telling me again? Maybe it would align better with your initial idea.”<br/>
“I’m not sure anything can align with the plan in my head anymore, but why not?”</p>
<p>The two of them turned towards one another. David laced his fingers through Brad’s. David’s hands were a lot more calloused than his own, but they still felt as if they were a perfect fit.<br/>
“David, I love you.” Brad declared, staring into David’s eyes, and then staring down towards his lips.<br/>
“Brad, I love you too.” With that, Brad surged forward and kissed David. It was passionate, but  filled with the most honest feelings of love; that he didn’t even know he could express. Brad and David rested their foreheads together, both smiling widely to themselves. David was the first to lay back down, pulling Brad’s arm and taking him with him.<br/>
“I didn’t expect this to go so well.” Brad said, being fully honest.<br/>
“Are you happy with how it did turn out?” David asked, tilting his head to look at Brad. He planted another kiss on David’s lips.<br/>
“Very.”<br/>
Brad rested his head on David’s chest, David draping his arm around Brad’s shoulders. He leaned down and kissed the top of Brad’s head, before keeping his cheek pressed against it. Brad adjusted himself so that his one arm was fully draped across David’s stomach, in a position similar to the first night they spent together. It somehow felt like ages ago, even though it was only the day before. Brad sighed and looked up at David. Him from 2 years ago would have never believed that this moment would’ve happened. Brad closed his eyes and found himself focusing on David’s breathing. The feeling of his chest rising and falling was almost therapeutic. For once, Brad fell asleep first. </p>
<p>Movie nights became a weekly thing. Once David’s apartment was done, they would go back and forth between each other’s houses. They would order food (or Brad would cook), and rent a cheesy movie to watch together. Brad always wanted to watch action or horror movies, David preferred rom-coms. They agreed that they wouldn’t tell anyone at the office about all that happened between them, at least not for a while. </p>
<p>Brad woke up one Saturday morning, still in David’s arms. David was awake already, softly running his fingers through Brad’s hair.<br/>
“Good morning.” Brad said sweetly, his voice barely a whisper.<br/>
“Good morning,” David said back, kissing Brad on the forehead. “Sleep well?”<br/>
Brad only hummed in response, burying his face into David’s chest.<br/>
“How does going out for coffee this morning sound? We should probably start getting up soon if we are.” David said, shifting Brad off of him. Brad immediately grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back down.<br/>
“Five more minutes.”<br/>
David laughed. “Okay, fine.”<br/>
Brad kept himself wrapped around David, and kissed him right under his chin, continuing to leave small kisses all the way down to his collarbones.<br/>
“Brad,” David whined, still laughing slightly, enjoying the physical affection. “Shit, we don’t have time for this.”<br/>
Brad pouted. David turned it into a smile with a kiss.<br/>
</p><p>They got out of bed and got dressed, ready to walk out into the warm spring morning. They held hands as they walked to the café, not caring who saw them. They ordered their drinks and took a seat at a table by the windows. Brad stroked his thumb across David’s knuckles, giving him a smile. This was the most expressive Brad had been towards another person, other than being a sarcastic asshole to everyone else at work. Brad honestly didn’t understand what David saw in him. David was staring off to the side of the room, seeming lost in his thoughts.<br/>
</p><p>“Brad,” he said abruptly. “What are we?”<br/>
Brad was caught off guard by the question. David could tell that Brad wasn’t understanding.<br/>
“Are we putting any labels to whatever this relationship is? Or are we just keeping it casual for now?” David clarified.<br/>
“Oh.” Brad wasn’t sure how to respond. He had thought about this a few times before, but he always assumed David wasn’t ready for anything specific. He didn’t want to rush anything or tell people before they had made their whole relationship official.<br/>
“I’ll be comfortable with anything you think we are.” Brad reassured David, squeezing his hand from across the table. David seemed to have liked that statement.<br/>
“Will you be my boyfriend?” David asked, his eyes darting away nervously as he started to blush.<br/>
“Of course I will, dummy.” Brad and David both leaned across the table and kissed in the middle, time stopping for a moment. The taste of David’s chai tea latte lingered on his lips, it reminded Brad of the first night they kissed; sweet but with an extra kick behind it. Brad never imagined that he would end up with David Brittlesbee, the man he had fallen in love with when they first started working together. But he didn’t need to <em>imagine</em> falling in love anymore. David was sitting right there in front of him, an infectious smile seemingly glued to his face. Brad was inarguably in love, and he didn’t want it any other way.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sorry for the late update! i got caught up with school and everything, but i’m back!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>their relationship is official, but brad and david still want to keep it a secret. how are they gonna tell anyone?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After that conversation at breakfast, Brad and David still didn’t tell anyone at the office. They wanted to keep it a secret for at least another week or so, so they tried to put it on the down low. </p>
<p>That plan didn’t last long.</p>
<p>The first day back at work since their relationship was official, people caught on. Brad had to keep himself from staring at David throughout the entirety of the meeting. David would look over occasionally and blush, losing his train of thought and stumble over his words. Brad thought he was cute when he was flustered. Brad looked down at his hands, trying not to smile ridiculously widely. Keeping this a secret was hard, but there was something that Brad enjoyed about it. He and David were planning on revealing it the following week, the day of their next full staff meeting. They would only tell Ian, Poppy, CW, and Jo at first. Eventually, the rest of the office would catch on. 
</p><p>Brad only tuned back in when the volume in the conference room started to grow. Ian and Poppy were arguing again, he didn’t know how they even stood being near each other. Jo was yelling at Poppy too, probably just trying to gain approval from Ian. Brad looked to David, who was clearly starting to get stressed. He knew that David hated having to yell over everyone, but it was coming to that.<br/>
“Guys,” David started out, trying to wrangle everyone by just speaking in his normal voice. It had no effect. David exhaled. He hit the table with his hand, grabbing everyone’s attention.<br/>
“Could you two PLEASE stop fucking bickering for once?”<br/>
Ian and Poppy were silent.<br/>
“Meeting adjourned.” David said, before walking briskly out of the room. Brad gave the two of them a glare, and followed behind his boyfriend. </p>
<p>Brad was annoyed that David was never taken seriously, he was just as important to the company as anyone else. Brad found David sitting on the couch in their office. He was biting his nails, which was a common thing he did when he was nervous. Brad closed the door behind him and sat down next to him, holding his hand.<br/>
“You’re gonna be alright” Brad told him softly.<br/>
“I know. I’m just stressed.” David replied, leaning against Brad’s shoulder. They sat together like that for a moment, not even needing to say anything. David picked his head up, wiping his eyes. Brad hadn’t even noticed he’d started crying. He put his hand on David’s cheek, moving closer to him. Brad closed the distance between them, giving him quick kisses. David kissed back, slightly more rough each time. Brad looped his arms behind David’s neck, David putting his hands on Brad’s waist. He pulled Brad fully down onto the couch, still kissing him earnestly. Brad was leaning over David, their chests pressed together. <br/>
The door swung open and Poppy barged in.<br/>
</p><p>“Hey Bra- OH MY GOD!” she exclaimed. They both jumped, David pushing Brad off of him.<br/>
“Fucking hell, Poppy!” Brad scolded. “Don’t you knock?”<br/>
She shut the door, taking her voice down slightly.<br/>
“I didn’t think I’d walk in on you two making out!” David and Brad were sitting on opposite sides of the couch, both uncomfortably silent.<br/>
“So are you guys like, gonna be a thing now, or what?” Poppy asked, not seeming to care about how awkward this situation was.<br/>
Brad looked over at David, his face was fully red. David made eye contact with him and they non-verbally agreed to tell Poppy the truth.<br/>
“David and I,” Brad swallowed, looking to David for reassurance. “are in a relationship. We have been for a few days, we just weren’t planning on letting everyone know so soon.” David reached over and put a hand on Brad’s knee, squeezing it slightly.<br/>
“Oh, um, that’s cool I guess.” Poppy said. “I’m happy for you both.”<br/>
“Thanks, Pop. But next time, can you knock?”<br/>
“Yeah, I don’t wanna have to walk in on,” Poppy gestured to the two of them. “anything like that again.” She smiled quickly, before turning and starting to leave.<br/>
“And Poppy?” Brad called. “Could you maybe, not tell anyone else yet? We wanna be the ones to make the announcement.”<br/>
She gave a nod and left the room. David still hadn’t said anything.<br/>
“Well,” Brad broke the silence with. “Do you want to start telling people?”<br/>
David smiled at him nervously. “I guess we should.”<br/>
</p><p>They kissed one more time, and they went to their desks, continuing the work day as normal.</p>
<p>At the beginning of their Wednesday morning meeting, news had to be delivered. David had stayed at Brad’s again, and they spent a lot of their time planning how the meeting would go the next day. Plans often didn’t go their way, (hell, their whole relationship started on a poorly executed love confession) but they were hopeful on this one. They held hands throughout the whole elevator ride. Brad wasn’t as nervous to announce his relationship status, pretty much everyone knew he was gay. But David wasn’t out to anyone, nor had he been in a relationship since his divorce. Brad knew that this was a good step in the right direction, telling their co-workers and closest friends, but he could sense a feeling of uncertainty between the two of them. Brad squeezed David’s hand, as the elevator numbers got closer and closer to the main floor.<br/>
</p><p>“Are you ready to do this?” Brad inquired. “If you still need more time then we can always hold off.”<br/>
David squeezed Brad’s hand back.<br/>
“I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”<br/>
David gave him a kiss right before the doors opened and they stepped into the bustling studio. </p><p>Brad went to get coffee, David went to their office. They had another few hours until the meeting, but Brad assumed it would go by pretty fast. David’s alarm went off as they were working silently, and they smiled at one another. David exhaled and left the room. Brad followed close behind. Everyone filed into the conference room at their own pace, all showing up before 11:00. Once the rest of the head staff arrived, David stood at the head of the table.<br/>
</p><p>“Okay everyone,” David began. “Before we get going today, Brad and I have a new announcement.” Brad stood up too and took a place next to David. He turned his head, and Brad nodded as a form of reassurance.<br/>
“I know that our personal lives aren’t technically involved with the company, but we thought we should tell you.” David took a deep breath, this was his first time saying this to anyone.<br/>
“Brad and I are dating.” Brad laced his fingers through David’s, looking out at their friends. He looked at Poppy, and she smiled.<br/>
“Is that all?” Ian asked.<br/>
“Yeah,” Brad answered. “That’s all.”<br/>
Ian made a wide gesture to the rest of the room. “Well, we’re happy for you.” Everyone nodded, including Brad and David. They took their seats as the meeting was about to start.<br/>
“Ian,” David added. “Take it away.”<br/>
Brad kept his hand on David’s thigh for the whole meeting. His <em>boyfriend’s</em> thigh. He still wasn’t used to saying that, but he loved the sound of it.<br/>
</p><p>“That went well.” David mouthed to Brad.<br/>
“I’m proud of you.” Brad mouthed back.<br/>
David put his hand on top of Brad’s and didn’t let go.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>1 year later- brad and david have another movie night, leading to one final question.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this is the last chapter! i had a great time writing this one</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>1 year later</p><p>It was a November afternoon, and David and Brad had been living together for 5 months now. After spending so many nights going back and forth between each other’s houses, Brad offered for David to move in; and he did. Everyone at MQ got used to their relationship very quickly. They didn’t show too much PDA, but they would often hold hands during the meetings, or fall asleep together on their office couch after long days. </p><p>It was a November afternoon, and Brad was cooking dinner. He was making a pasta dish that he had learned that it was one of David’s favorites. David was sitting in the living room, finishing up writing a few emails. He walked into the kitchen as Brad plated their food, putting his arms around his waist from behind. David gave Brad a kiss on the cheek, and rested his chin on Brad’s shoulder.<br/>
</p><p>“Looks delicious,” he said. “You only ever make this for me when you have news, what’s the occasion?”<br/>
Brad’s hand drifted to his pocket, the ring seemed to grow heavier in the small box it was contained in.<br/>
“Just because I love you.” Brad chimed. 
</p><p>It wasn’t technically a lie, but he wasn’t telling David the full truth either. After they ate, they settled in on the couch and scrolled through Hulu, looking for a movie to watch. Brad let David pick the movie for the night, he wanted things to go perfectly. David excitedly hit Brad on the arm when they came across Dirty Dancing. David always had a soft spot for cheesy 80s movies, and this was no exception. They sat in silence for most of the movie, other than David occasionally quoting parts of the movie that he (very clearly) had memorized. </p><p>When it got to the big dance scene, Brad stood up off of the couch and brought David with him. They stood in a waltz position and swayed back and forth, laughing. Arguably the most iconic scene in the movie is when Johnny lifts Baby up over top of him. David attempted to lift Brad off of the ground, and they immediately tipped over. They continued to laugh, and ended up pausing the movie just to calm down. </p><p><em>Now is the time, Brad.</em> he thought to himself. </p><p>“David,” Brad started, trying to hide how shaky his voice was. “I wanna ask you something.”<br/>
David stood back up, matching Brad’s stance.<br/>
“This past year has been one of the greatest in my life. I wanna keep spending more with you. I know it’s soon but…” he trailed off.<br/>
“Brad?” David asked. Brad took a deep breath, in and out. He wiped his eyes.<br/>
“David, I love you so much.” Brad got down on one knee. “I know it’s cliché, but i wanna spend the rest of my life with you.”<br/>
David laughed through sniffles.<br/>
Brad added on the last few words, the words that pretty much started everything they had been through in the last year. </p><p>“So, would you stay?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>spoiler: david says yes</p><p>i cannot thank you all enough for reading this!! comments and kudos are appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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